Reference: Winds
American
Mt 24:31. The winds which most commonly prevail in Palestine are from the western quarter, more usually perhaps from the south-west, Lu 12:54. Not infrequently a north wind arises, Job 37:9, which, as in ancient days, is till the sure harbinger of fair weather; illustrating the truth of the observation in Pr 25:23, "The north wind driveth away rain." For the tempestuous wind called EUROCLYDON, see that article.
But the wind most frequently mentioned in the Bible is the "cast wind," which is represented as blasting and drying up the fruits, Ge 41:6; Eze 17:10; 19:12, and also as blowing with great violence, Ps 48:7; Eze 27:26; Jon 4:8. It is also the "horrible tempest" literally the glow-wind, of Ps 11:6. This is a sultry and oppressive wind blowing from the south-east, and prevailing only in the hot and dry months of summer. Coming thus from the vast Arabian desert, it seems to increase the heat and drought of the season, and produces universal languor and debility. Rev. Dr. Eli Smith, who experienced it effects during the summer, at Beyrout, describes it as possessing the same qualities and characteristics as the Sirocco, which he had felt at Malta, and which also prevails in Sicily and Italy; except that the Sirocco, in passing over the sea, acquires great dampness. This wind is called by the Arabs the Simoom, by the Turks the Samuel; and by the Egyptians the Camsin; and has long been regarded as a pestilential wind, suddenly overtaking travelers and caravans in the deserts, and almost instantly destroying them by its poisonous and suffocating death. But late and judicious travelers find no evidence that this wind is laden with any poisonous influence. It is indeed oppressively hot and dry, rapidly evaporating the water in the ordinary skin bottles, stopping the perspiration of travelers, drying up the palate and the air passages, and producing great restlessness and exhaustion. As it often blows with a terrible roaring and violence, it carries dust and fine sand high up into the air, so that the whole atmosphere is lurid, and seems in a state of combustion, and the sun is shorn of his beams, and looks like a globe of dull smoldering fire. Both men and animals are greatly annoyed by the dust, and seek any practicable shelter or covering. The camels turn their backs, and hide their heads from it in the ground. It is often accompanied by local whirlwinds, which form pillars of sand and dust, rising high above the ground and moving with swiftness over the plain. Such a tempest may have suggested some features in the prophetic descriptions of the day of God's power: "wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke: the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood," Joe 2:30-31; Ac 2:19-20.
Dr. Thomson describes another variety of hot winds or siroccos, often more overwhelming than those just mentioned. The sky is covered with clouds, and pale lightning play through the air; but there is no rain, thunder, or wind. The heat, however, is intolerable; every traveler seeks a refuge, the birds hide themselves in the thickest shades, the fowls pant under the walls with open mouths, and no living thing is in motion.
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and lo! seven ears, lean and shrivelled by an east wind, coming up after them.
Out of a chamber cometh a storm-wind, and, out of the north, cold.
He will rain upon the lawless live-coals, Fire and brimstone and a burning wind, are the portion of their cup.
With an east wind, wilt thou shatter the ships of Tarshish.
A north wind, bringeth forth rain, and, a face stirred with indignation, a secretive tongue.
Lo! therefore though it remain planted, shall it thrive? As soon as an east wind toucheth it, will it not utterly wither? On the beds where it sprang up, will it not wither?
Then was she uprooted in indignation To the ground, was she east, And an east wind, dried up her fruit, - Broken off and withered were her staves of power, A fire, devoured them.
Into mighty waters, have they brought thee, the rowers - even thee, - the east wind, hath broken thee In the heart of the seas:
And I will set forth wonders in the heavens, and in the earth, - blood, and fire, and columns of smoke: The sun, shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, - before the coming of the great and awful day of Yahweh.
And it came to pass, at the breaking forth of the sun, that God appointed a sultry east wind, and the sun smote upon the head of Jonah, that he became faint, - and asked his life, that he might die, and said, It were better for me, to die, than, to live.
And he will send forth his messengers, with a great trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen - Out of the four winds, from heavens' bounds, unto their bounds.
And he went on to say, even unto the multitudes, - Whensoever ye see a cloud springing up from the west, straightway, ye are saying - A thunderstorm is coming! and it happeneth thus.
And I will set forth wonders in the heaven above, and signs upon the earth beneath, - blood and fire and vapour of smoke: The sun, shall be turned into darkness and, the moon, into blood, - before the coming of the day of the Lord, the great and manifest day ;
Easton
blowing from the four quarters of heaven (Jer 49:36; Eze 37:9; Da 8:8; Zec 2:6). The east wind was parching (Eze 17:10; 19:12), and is sometimes mentioned as simply denoting a strong wind (Job 27:21; Isa 27:8). This wind prevails in Palestine from February to June, as the west wind (Lu 12:54) does from November to February. The south was a hot wind (Job 37:17; Lu 12:55). It swept over the Arabian peninsula. The rush of invaders is figuratively spoken of as a whirlwind (Isa 21:1); a commotion among the nations of the world as a striving of the four winds (Da 7:2). The winds are subject to the divine power (Ps 18:10; 135:7).
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An east wind shall lift him up, and he shall depart, and it shall sweep him away out of his place;
That thy garments should be hot when he quieteth the earth from the south?
Then he rode on a cherub, and flew, and darted on the wings of the wind;
Causing vapours to ascend from the end of the earth, - Lightnings for the rain, hath he made, bringing forth wind out of his treasuries.
The oracle on the desert of the sea: As storm-winds in the South which with a rush from the desert, do come from a terrible land,
By driving her away - by dismissing her, wouldest thou contend with her? He removed her by his rough wind in, a day of east wind.
Then will I bring in against Elam four winds from the four quarters of the heavens, And will scatter them to all these winds, - And there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam, shall not come;
Lo! therefore though it remain planted, shall it thrive? As soon as an east wind toucheth it, will it not utterly wither? On the beds where it sprang up, will it not wither?
Then was she uprooted in indignation To the ground, was she east, And an east wind, dried up her fruit, - Broken off and withered were her staves of power, A fire, devoured them.
Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the spirit, Prophesy, Son of man. and thou shalt say unto the spirit. Thus saith My Lord Yahweh- From the four winds, come thou, O spirit, And breathe into these slain That they may live.
Daniel spake and said, I was looking, in my vision which came with the night, - when, lo! the four winds of the heavens, bursting forth upon the great sea;
But, the he-goat, shewed himself very great, - and, when he had become mighty, the great horn, was broken in pieces, and there came up afterwards four, in its stead, towards the four winds of the heavens;
Ho! ho! flee ye, therefore, out of the land of the North, urgeth Yahweh. For, as the four winds of the heavens, have I spread you abroad, declareth Yahweh.
And he went on to say, even unto the multitudes, - Whensoever ye see a cloud springing up from the west, straightway, ye are saying - A thunderstorm is coming! and it happeneth thus. And, whensoever a south wind, blowing, ye say - A scorching heat, will there be! and it cometh to pass.
Fausets
The four represent the four quarters (Eze 37:9; Da 8:8; Mt 24:31; Jer 49:36). The N. wind was coldest (Song 4:16). The N. wind "awakes," i.e. arises strongly; the Holy Spirit as the Reprover of sin (Joh 16:8-11). The S. wind "comes" gently; the Comforter (Joh 14:16). The W. wind brings rain from the sea (1Ki 18:44-45); its precursor is cloud (Lu 12:54), prevailing in Palestine from November to February. The E. wind is tempestuous (Job 27:21) and, withering (Ge 41:23). The N. wind is first invoked (Song 4:16) to clear the air (Job 37:22); then the warm S. wind (Job 37:17; Lu 12:55); so the Holy Spirit first clears away mists of gloom, error, unbelief, and sin, which intercept the light of the Sun of righteousness, then infuses warmth (2Co 4:6), causing the graces to exhale their odor.
In Pr 25:23 "the N. wind driveth away (literally, causeth to grieve, so puts to flight) rain," so a frowning countenance drives away a backbiting tongue. So Vulgate, Chald., and Syriac less appropriately "bringeth forth rain." The N. wind prevails from June to the equinox, the N.W. wind thence to November. The E. wind, "the wind of the wilderness" (Job 1:19; 27:21; Jer 13:24). It is parching and penetrating, like the sirocco (Jon 4:8). The E. wind blowing from across the Red Sea, just at the Passover time of year, was the natural agency employed by divine interposition to part the waters of the Red Sea S. of Suez (Ex 14:21). The E. wind meant in Ge 41:6,23 is probably the S.E. wind blowing from the Arabian desert, called the chamsin, so parching as to wither up all grass; during it there is an entire absence of ozone in the air.
The samoom blows from the S.S.E.; blowing over the Arabian peninsula, it is parching when it reaches Palestine. Lake squalls (lailaps) are noticed Mr 4:37; Lu 8:23. The Greek (lips) name for S.W. wind, and the Latin (cores) N.W. wind, and the violent Euraquilon (not Euroclydon), E.N.E. wind, are noticed Ac 27:12,14. (See EUROCLYDON.) The E. wind symbolizes empty violence (Job 15:2; Ho 12:1; Israel "followeth after" not only vain but pernicious things) and destruction (Jer 18:17; Isa 27:8). Wind indicates speed (Ps 104:4; Heb 1:7), transitoriness (Job 7:7; Ps 78:39), the Holy Spirit (Joh 3:8; Ac 2:2; Ge 3:8 margin).
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Then heard they the sound of Yahweh God, walking to and fro in the garden at the breeze of the day, - so he hid himself - the man with his wife, from the face of Yahweh God, amid the trees of the garden.
and lo! seven ears, lean and shrivelled by an east wind, coming up after them.
And lo! seven ears, withered lean shrivelled by an east wind growing up after them.
And lo! seven ears, withered lean shrivelled by an east wind growing up after them.
And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and Yahweh carried away the sea by a mighty east wind all the night, and turned the sea into dry land, - and the waters were cloven asunder.
And it came to pass, at the seventh time, that he said, Lo! a little cloud, like a man's hand coming up from the sea. Then he said - Go up, say unto Ahab - Harness, and get thee down, lest the rain shut thee in. And it came to pass, meanwhile, that, the heavens, had enshrouded themselves with clouds and wind, and there came a great rain, and Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel;
when lo! a great wind, came from over the desert, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they died, - and escaped am, only I alone, to tell thee.
Remember thou, that, a wind, is my life, not again shall mine eye see blessing:
Should, a wise man, answer unreal knowledge? or fill, with the east wind, his inner man?
An east wind shall lift him up, and he shall depart, and it shall sweep him away out of his place;
An east wind shall lift him up, and he shall depart, and it shall sweep him away out of his place;
That thy garments should be hot when he quieteth the earth from the south?
Out of the north, a golden light cometh, Upon GOD, is fearful splendour:
So then he remembered, That, Flesh, they were, A Wind departing, that returneth not.
Making His messengers, winds, His attendants, a flaming fire;
A north wind, bringeth forth rain, and, a face stirred with indignation, a secretive tongue.
SHEAwake, O north wind, and come in, thou south, Fan my garden - its balsams, will flow out, - Let my beloved enter his garden, and eat his precious fruits.
SHEAwake, O north wind, and come in, thou south, Fan my garden - its balsams, will flow out, - Let my beloved enter his garden, and eat his precious fruits.
By driving her away - by dismissing her, wouldest thou contend with her? He removed her by his rough wind in, a day of east wind.
Therefore have I scattered them, As broken straw passing away, by the wind of the desert.
Like an east wind, will I scatter them before the enemy, - The back and not the face, will I let them see in the day of their distress.
Then will I bring in against Elam four winds from the four quarters of the heavens, And will scatter them to all these winds, - And there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam, shall not come;
Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the spirit, Prophesy, Son of man. and thou shalt say unto the spirit. Thus saith My Lord Yahweh- From the four winds, come thou, O spirit, And breathe into these slain That they may live.
But, the he-goat, shewed himself very great, - and, when he had become mighty, the great horn, was broken in pieces, and there came up afterwards four, in its stead, towards the four winds of the heavens;
Ephraim, feedeth on wind, and pursueth the east wind, all the day, falsehood and force, doth he magnify, - and, a covenant with Assyria, would they solemnize, and, oil into Egypt, must be borne along.
And it came to pass, at the breaking forth of the sun, that God appointed a sultry east wind, and the sun smote upon the head of Jonah, that he became faint, - and asked his life, that he might die, and said, It were better for me, to die, than, to live.
And he will send forth his messengers, with a great trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen - Out of the four winds, from heavens' bounds, unto their bounds.
And there ariseth a great tempest of wind, - and, the waves, were dashing over into the boat, so that, already being filled, was the boat.
Now, as they were sailing, he fell asleep. And there came down a hurricane of wind upon the lake, and they began to be filled, and to be in peril.
And he went on to say, even unto the multitudes, - Whensoever ye see a cloud springing up from the west, straightway, ye are saying - A thunderstorm is coming! and it happeneth thus. And, whensoever a south wind, blowing, ye say - A scorching heat, will there be! and it cometh to pass.
The spirit, where it pleaseth, doth breathe, and, the sound thereof, thou hearest; but knowest not, whence it cometh and whither it goeth: Thus, is every one who hath been born of the spirit.
And, I, will request the Father, and, Another Advocate, will he give unto you, that he may be with you age-abidingly,
And, having come, He, will reprove the world - Concerning sin, and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment: Concerning sin, indeed, because they are not believing on me; read more. But, concerning righteousness, because, unto the Father, I go my way, and, no longer, do ye behold me; And, concerning judgment, because, the ruler of this world, hath been judged.
When there came suddenly out of heaven a sound, just as of a mighty rushing wind, - -and it filled all the house where they were sitting;
And, the harbour being, incommodious, to winter in, the more part, advised to put to sea from thence, if by any means they might be able to reach Phoenix, to winter, which was a harbour of Crete, looking north-east and south-east.
But, after no long time, there beat down from it a tempestuous wind, called Euraquilo, -
Because, the God who said - Out of darkness, light shall shine! is he who hath shone in our hearts, in proportion to the radiance of the glorious knowledge of God, in the face of Christ.
Even as to the messengers, indeed, he saith - Who maketh his messengers, winds, and his ministers of state, a fiery flame;
Smith
Winds.
That the Hebrews recognized the existence of four prevailing winds as issuing, broadly speaking, from the four cardinal points, north, south, east and west, may be inferred from their custom of using the expression "four winds" as equivalent to the "four quarters" of the hemisphere.
Eze 37:9; Da 8:8; Zec 2:6; Mt 24:31
The north wind, or, as it was usually called "the north," was naturally the coldest of the four, Ecclus. 43:20 and its presence is hence invoked as favorable to vegetation in
It is described in
as bringing rain; in this case we must understand the northwest wind. The northwest wind prevails from the autumnal equinox to the beginning of November, and the north wind from June to the equinox. The east wind crosses the sandy wastes of Arabia Deserts before reaching Palestine and was hence termed "the wind of the wilderness."
It blows with violence, and is hence supposed to be used generally for any violent wind.
Job 27:21; 38:24; Ps 48:7; Isa 27:8; Eze 27:26
In Palestine the east wind prevails from February to June. The south wind, which traverses the Arabian peninsula before reaching Palestine, must necessarily be extremely hot.
Job 37:17; Lu 12:55
The west and southwest winds reach Palestine loaded with moisture gathered from the Mediterranean, and are hence expressly termed by the Arabs "the fathers of the rain." Westerly winds prevail in Palestine from November to February. In addition to the four regular winds, we have notice in the Bible of the local squalls,
Mr 4:37; Lu 8:23
to which the Sea of Gennesareth was liable. In the narrative of St. Paul's voyage we meet with the Greek term Lips to describe the southwest wind; the Latin Carus or Caurus, the northwest wind
and Euroclydon, a wind of a very violent character coming from east-northeast.
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when lo! a great wind, came from over the desert, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they died, - and escaped am, only I alone, to tell thee.
An east wind shall lift him up, and he shall depart, and it shall sweep him away out of his place;
That thy garments should be hot when he quieteth the earth from the south?
Where then is the way the lightning is parted? The east wind spreadeth itself abroad over the earth.
With an east wind, wilt thou shatter the ships of Tarshish.
SHEAwake, O north wind, and come in, thou south, Fan my garden - its balsams, will flow out, - Let my beloved enter his garden, and eat his precious fruits.
By driving her away - by dismissing her, wouldest thou contend with her? He removed her by his rough wind in, a day of east wind.
and I will dash them every man against his brother even the fathers and the sons together, Declareth Yahweh, - I will not pity, Neither will I snare Neither will I have compassion that I should not destroy them.
Into mighty waters, have they brought thee, the rowers - even thee, - the east wind, hath broken thee In the heart of the seas:
Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the spirit, Prophesy, Son of man. and thou shalt say unto the spirit. Thus saith My Lord Yahweh- From the four winds, come thou, O spirit, And breathe into these slain That they may live.
But, the he-goat, shewed himself very great, - and, when he had become mighty, the great horn, was broken in pieces, and there came up afterwards four, in its stead, towards the four winds of the heavens;
Ho! ho! flee ye, therefore, out of the land of the North, urgeth Yahweh. For, as the four winds of the heavens, have I spread you abroad, declareth Yahweh.
And he will send forth his messengers, with a great trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen - Out of the four winds, from heavens' bounds, unto their bounds.
And there ariseth a great tempest of wind, - and, the waves, were dashing over into the boat, so that, already being filled, was the boat.
Now, as they were sailing, he fell asleep. And there came down a hurricane of wind upon the lake, and they began to be filled, and to be in peril.
And, whensoever a south wind, blowing, ye say - A scorching heat, will there be! and it cometh to pass.
But, after no long time, there beat down from it a tempestuous wind, called Euraquilo, -